The Matthew W. Scholarship Award for FtM Research

Division 44 offers this $200 award to students who are making distinguished contributions to the interests, goals, and purposes of Division 44 in the area of transgender and/or genderqueer research for female-to-male (FtM) individuals. The award winner will have developed research that investigates phenomena directly relevant to female-to-male communities using qualitative, quantitative, or a variety of-mixed method approaches as part of a dissertation or other student research project. The project may be completed (within the years 2010-2012) or in progress. The award winner will also disseminate and/or share findings with multiple audiences and communities that are directly impacted by the research (e.g., academic audiences, traditional publications, community-focused workshops, etc.) The winner will be announced at the 2012 APA Convention.

Guidelines for Applicants

Contents of application materials

A complete application consists of electronic versions of the following materials:

Cover page that lists the following:

Name of the award: Matthew W. Scholarship Award for FtM Research

Name of applicant

Contact information

Current degree seeking

Institutional affiliation(s)

If you are also submitting the same research for the Transgender Research Award, please clearly indicate that on the cover page.

Study description (see below for specific instructions)

Curriculum vitae for principal investigator.

Notice of IRB approval.

Letter of recommendation from faculty supervisor (no more than one page)

The study description should be written in APA style (6th edition). This should include: a brief literature review, research questions, the methodology, results (expected or achieved), and how the primary investigator plans to disseminate the findings. The descriptions should be no longer than 7 pages; the page total does not include references. Identifying information must be removed from the study description. (APA style includes 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and double-spaced pages).

Applicants may be disqualified for failure to comply with the application guidelines. Applicants may also submit this research for the Transgender Research Award, but such submission should be made with an entirely separate application and clearly noted on the Cover Page. Please see the Transgender Research Award description on the Division 44 website for submission guidelines of that award. Please do not hesitate to contact the Scholarship Chair Jenny Arm if you have any questions about the application guidelines.

Submission instructions
Complete applications must be submitted on or before April 16, 2012, including the letter for the applicant’s faculty supervisor. Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason, including technology related difficulties. Applicants will receive an email confirmation that their materials have been received within one week of receipt. If you do not receive confirmation, please feel free to contact the Scholarship Chair Jenny Arm.

Applicants must submit all application materials electronically. These materials should be attached to a single email message to the Award Committe. In the subject line of the email please write the full name of the research award.

Evaluation of proposals and selection of award recipients
The project description for each proposal will be evaluated by two or more reviewers using the following criteria: (a) compliance with award guidelines, including appropriate use of APA style and relevance of the objectives to the award; (b) completeness, logic, and relevance of the literature review to the development of the research question(s); (c) relevance, importance and clarity of the research question(s); (d) extent to which the description of the study provides a comprehensive overview of the research project; (e) appropriateness of the methodology to answering the research question(s) (e.g., sampling methods, sample size, established validity of instruments, and data analysis techniques); (f) overall originality and innovation of the proposed study; (g) quality, completeness of the interpretation of the (actual or potential) results and potential impact of the results to understanding psychological issues faced by FtM transgender individuals; and (h) feasibility, including likelihood of timely completion of project and dissemination of results.
Selection of award recipients will be mostly based on reviewers’ evaluations of project descriptions. However, supplemental materials (i.e., CV, letter of recommendation) will also be considered in the selection process.

Notification and Conditions of Acceptance
The Division 44 FtM Transgender Research Scholarship Chair will notify the award recipients. The research award will be presented at the APA Convention, though the winner need not be present. If the winner is unable to attend to receive the award, he/she/ze will be asked to provide a photo suitable for publication in the Division Newsletter and on the Division web site. The successful applicant will be expected to provide a summary of the study for publication in the Division Newsletter on completion of the study. Award recipients must acknowledge Division 44 funding in all publications and presentations resulting from the project. Award recipients are also encouraged to submit proposals to present the project’s findings at the Annual APA Convention.

Interested in being a Reviewer? Please contact Jenny Arm. We welcome your input!

Please note, if you are applying for this award, you may not also be a reviewer for this award. However, you may be a reviewer for another award such as the The Matthew W. Scholarship Award. If you would like to do so, please contact Jenny Arm ASAP and indicate your interest.